Kh. Shuweika, South Hebron Hills: Israeli settlers fly drone over Palestinian flock, beat and threaten shepherd

As Fares Samamrah (50), was grazing his flock in privately owned pastureland south of Kh. Shuweika, a settler arrived and chased after the flock in an attempt to drive it away. A few minutes later, five soldiers Samamrah knows as settlers, flew a drone over the flock, assaulted Samamrah and threatened to kill him if he returned to graze his sheep there. The settlers followed Samamrah and harassed him for about two hours until he was near his home. Police officers Samamrah called to the scene arrived only after the settlers left.

On Sunday morning, 25 February 2024, as Fares Samamrah (50), was grazing his flock in privately owned pastureland south of Kh. Shuweika, a settler arrived and chased after the flock in an attempt to drive it away. A few minutes later, five soldiers Samamrah knows as settlers, flew a drone over the flock, assaulted Samamrah and threatened to kill him if he returned to graze his sheep there. The settlers followed Samamrah and harassed him for about two hours until he was near his home. Police officers Samamrah called to the scene arrived only after the settlers left.

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Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end this regime, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, Israel has acted in a coordinated and deliberate manner to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, committing genocide against its residents. In light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the public statements made by Israeli decision-makers, and the international community’s failure to take effective action, there is a serious risk that the Israeli regime will expand the genocide to other areas under its control—first and foremost, the West Bank.
B’Tselem calls on the Israeli public and the international community to use every tool available under international law to bring an immediate end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.